


All Fall down

by eerian_sadow



Series: Rare Pairing pieces [3]
Category: Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Character Death, Character Study, Community: tf_rare_pairing, Enemies, Gen, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-05
Updated: 2012-07-05
Packaged: 2017-11-09 05:06:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/451624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lockdown took something important and now it's time for payback.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Fall down

**Author's Note:**

> written for tf_rare_pairing’s June 2011 challenge. No, I don’t know where it came from and I’m not sure how much I like it exactly, but it’s what I got. *shrug* also, I have no idea if Springer has swords in TFA or not; I didn’t consult my AAII and the wiki was down while I worked.

Lockdown lay flat on his back in the dust of some unknown asteroid in the back of beyond, pinned down by a long sword and staring up at a very angry Elite Guardsmech. Unlike a lot of the others who had run him down over the years--and all of whom he had escaped successfully--he knew this one.

Though he didn’t remember Jazz carrying a long sword, or sporting those sweet mods that were obviously based on their late Sensei’s. “When’d you get the sword?”

“A while back, when I told Springer I was coming after you.” Jazz took a step forward, shifting his weight and pinning the bounty hunter down more firmly. “He thought I needed something with more reach to get you. Looks like he was right.”

“Springer.” Lockdown made a disdainful noise. “He always was full of himself. That fragger put you up to this?”

The ninja twisted the blade slightly, sending a fresh wave of pain through Lockdown’s chest plates. “I put myself up to this. It’s high time someone took you out.”

“Took me out? Kid, them’s fightin’ words.”

“So fight.” Jazz’s glare was cold. “Not that you’d do it fair anyway.”

“Fair or not, I’m not going anywhere while ya got me pinned down like a cyber moth.” The bounty hunter glared back. “How bout you let me up, and we talk?”

“Not happening, Lockdown. Not this time.” The Guardsmech leaned forward on his sword, pinning Lockdown further against the ground with his weight. Then he reached behind him with one hand and drew a second sword. 

“Wait a minute, kid.” Lockdown’s systems went cold. “You don’t wanna do anything hasty here.”

“You think this is hasty?” Jazz drug the second sword along the bounty hunter’s chest plates until the tip of the blade rested over Lockdown’s spark. “I been planning for this day for a long time. Since Sensei returned to the Well, in fact.

“See, I’m not nearly as good a ninja as Prowl was. No Five Servos of Doom or high powered Processor Over Matter for me. Instead, I get to recharge tonight with the knowledge that no one in the universe has to be afraid of you anymore.”

“You don’t have the struts for it.” He kept his voice even, but Lockdown honestly couldn’t say he believed his own words. This was not the same Jazz he had known back in Detroit.

“Don’t I?” With one sharp push, the white mech drove the point of his sword through the weak point in the bounty hunter’s chest plates and into the spark below.

Lockdown screamed at the pain as he felt his spark chamber breached. He had thought of a lot of ways that he would finally go, but this had never been anywhere on this list. He should have known that, in the end, it would be someone who was personally involved when his luck ran out.

“Sensei’d… be ashamed… Jazz.”

Jazz twisted the sword in Lockdown’s spark chamber before pulling it out. It was only a matter of time now before the bounty hunter went offline permanently and they both knew it. “Sensei’s dead. But then, you know all about that, don’t you?”

Calmly, the ninja drew his other sword out of Lockdown’s chest plates and traded the weapons for his more signature nunchuku. 

“Why…” The pain and his failing spark were making it hard for Lockdown to think. “Why… you so hung up… on this now?”

Still radiating that eerie calm, Jazz lifted one of the bounty hunter’s arms and stripped off the grappling hook modification he had installed there a vorn ago. “Because you took everything I ever cared about away from me. I’m not letting you do that to anyone else, ever again.”

As the ninja stripped off the second grappling hook, the bounty hunter truly understood. This wasn’t just about Yoketron or Prowl, this was about _Optimus_ and the bounty he had collected on the young Magnus.

“I… should’a known. Just glad… you didn’t drag… it out.” Lockdown felt his extremities getting cold and he knew he didn’t have much time left at all now. “Always knew… I’d… take… the… wro…ng… job…”

Jazz watched impassively as the hunter faded to grey. Then, when he was sure he was alone, he dropped to his knees and mourned all he had lost.


End file.
